Metsäliitto Cooperative’s Supervisory Board has in its meeting on 4 May 2017 appointed M.Sc (Engineering) Ilkka Hämälä the CEO of Metsäliitto Cooperative as of 1 January 2018. Hämälä starts as the President and CEO of Metsä Group on 1 April 2018. Kari Jordan, the President and CEO since 2006, is responsible for Metsä Group’s result until the end of 2017 and will retire on 1 April 2018.

Hämälä has worked for Metsä Group since 1988. Since 2008 he has been the CEO of Metsä Fibre Oy and a member of Metsä Group Executive Management Team.

Kemira announces a price increase for its paper sizing products in EMEA. The adjustment will be effective immediately or as customer contracts allow.

The price increase of the ASA sizing chemicals will be approximately 5-10%, depending on the specific formulations and can differ in selected geographies. This adjustment is necessary due to increased raw material costs and currency variations.

Also as announced on January 25th 2017, Kemira will increase AKD sizing chemical prices by approximately 5-10%. This adjustment is necessary due to significantly increased raw material costs and currency variations.

From May 27th to June 25th, in the Basilica Palladiana in Vicenza (Italy), Burgo Group opens to the public the precious artistic heritage that has gathered in twenty years of illustrated calendars. Visitors could appreciate the works of some of the most famous international illustrators, involved in the execution of the famous calendar since 1997 :

Jean Michel Folon, Emanuele Luzzati, Milton Glaser, Lorenzo Mattotti, Altan, Roberto Perini, Paul Davis, Moebius, Giorgio Maria Griffa, José Munoz, Loustal, Tullio Pericoli, Cecco Mariniello, Fabian Negrin, Alessandro Sanna, Luca Caimmi, Shout, Ping Zhu.

To celebrate such a significant event Burgo made an artbook, Burgo Collection 1997 -2017, curated by Francesco Poroli and printed on Burgo coated paper R4 Next satin. The book will be featured on May 31st, in association with Illustri Festival. Robert Newman, a famous American art director who signed the introductory text, will attend the event which is part of the extensive program of Illustri Festival 2017, the third edition of the two-year festival of illustration ; a whole month of meetings, workshops and eight great exhibitions which will animate the most prestigious monuments in the city and will involve more than ninety illustrators.

Valmet will supply an upgrade of the evaporation plant at BillerudKorsnäs Gruvön pulp and paper mill in Sweden. The evaporation plant in a mill concentrates black liquor from the pulp cooking process. The installation of the new equipment is scheduled for spring 2018. 

The order was included in Valmet’s first quarter 2017 orders received. The value of the order will not be disclosed. A project of this type and scope is typically valued below EUR 15 million.

Pulp production recorded 3.0% growth in the first quarter of 2017, totaling 4.69 million tons against the 4.55 million tons recorded in the same period of last year. In the paper sector, the surplus continues with exports that reached a volume of 544 thousand tons sold between January and March, a 5.6% increase compared to the same period in 2016 when 515 thousand tons were traded. In the wood panels segment domestic sales rose 2.9%, reaching the 1.6 million cubic meter mark.

Sulzer Appoints Jim Mugford as Head of Electro Mechanical Services

Jim Mugford has been appointed President and Global Head of Sulzer’s electromechanical services business. Jim will be responsible for driving Sulzer’s strategy, growth and profitability for electromechanical services worldwide and creating synergies with the company’s turbo services and pump services businesses.

Having joined Sulzer in 2012, Jim has restructured and improved the company’s Canadian turbo and pump services operations, grown the U.S. electromechanical business and restructured and integrated the North American pump services business into Sulzer’s Rotating Equipment Services division.

ANDRITZ has been selected to build a new brown stock washing sideline to produce extremely high-purity pulp for the new board machine at the BillerudKorsnäs’ Gruvön mill in Sweden. Start-up is scheduled for the first quarter of 2019.

The Better with Less initiative highlights the company’s aims to improve consumer experience and make packaging even more sustainable

Metsä Board launches its clarified product and service portfolio on May 4th at Interpack in Düsseldorf. The company presents its offering of premium paperboards and related services, with focus on contributing to even more sustainable, safe and efficient packaging, now found under one Metsä Board family.

New Sappi Guard packaging papers with integrated barrier properties drew strong visitor interest

Four years ago, Sappi was the world’s first manufacturer to present a new speciality paper with a mineral oil barrier integrated directly in the paper, as well as including heat sealing properties. The company’s long-standing technical expertise and investments in the development of new innovative products and sustainable packaging solutions are paying off. The latest innovations from the Sappi Guard product line were presented to trade visitors at Interpack 2017, where they attracted a great deal of interest.

Sappi’s white coated liners offer new possibilities for corrugated board applications Thanks to its Fusion Topliner virgin fibre line, Sappi continues to be a pioneer in white coated liners for corrugated board applications. Given that Fusion Topliner is produced from one hundred percent bleached virgin fibres, it offers visual benefits as well as considerable strength advantages. At Interpack 2017, Sappi will be presenting new lower paper weights in its Fusion Topliner product line. Thanks to the lower weight, the grammage of 115 g/m2 delivers weight savings while retaining very high strength values. Sappi’s Fusion Topliner is recommended for applications where high visual quality is required, when lightweight packaging and finer fluting are desired and when flexible and customised print runs are to be produced using digital and flexographic printing. When food safety is involved, thanks to its 100% virgin fibres combined with functional barriers, a new level of safety can be achieved with Fusion Topliner.

Lecta will be presenting its range of specialty papers for premium packaging.

Lecta will showcase its wide range of specialty papers for select packaging at the upcoming edition of this new international event, to be held in Milan from May 16 to May 18. The show brings together designers, major luxury packaging manufacturers and the leading international luxury brands.

British master papermaker James Cropper is ramping up its presence across the pond with the launch of its Tailor Made service at this year’s Luxe Pack New York exhibition.
Attendees at the Luxe Pack New York event, which takes place on 10 and 11 May 2017, will be able to delve into the company’s Tailor Made service, which has been launched to allow brands to develop unique, custom-made paper solutions for brand presentation and packaging

Large pumps have generally been designed to perform for decades, making them a valuable asset that requires periodic maintenance. When the performance of an older pump begins to deteriorate, it may be a sign that the impeller is worn or the volute has become corroded, and by the time this happens, finding new parts can be a considerable challenge. Fortunately, modern design techniques and manufacturing processes can create a vast range of components using reverse engineering.

Positive response among the participants of the guided tour of the Zanders facility on the occasion of the Specialty Papers Europe Conference

Valmet’s Advanced Process Control (APC) application, Valmet DNA FBB Combustion Manager, has improved combustion for the biomass boiler at WestRock’s Covington mill in Virginia, USA. By optimizing combustion, the mill has been able to maximize and increase the main steam output of the biomass boiler beyond the maximum continuous rating (MCR). Other benefits include more stable and controlled boiler steam output as well as improved operational uniformity across shifts, furnace symmetry and spray valve control. Valmet’s APC application estimates the British thermal units (BTU) of the biomass fuel in real time and ensures a consistent optimum fuel power-to-air ratio.

ANDRITZ saw solid business development in the first quarter of 2017, with increases in order intake, sales, earnings, and profitability.
The key financial figures developed as follows :

Good progress has been made in the discussions between the Government of Uruguay and UPM concerning the infrastructure development and other local prerequisites for long-term industrial growth in Uruguay. We are now in agreement regarding the majority of the key items on the negotiation agenda," says Jaakko Sarantola, Senior Vice President, UPM, Uruguay Platform.

"Some remaining items still need to be solved as we start the work on the contract language which will specify the mutual responsibilities. Our focus lies heavily on solving these remaining topics," says Sarantola.

Ahlstrom-Munksjö, a global leader in fiber-based materials, has been awarded with a Gold rating by EcoVadis, following to the assessment of the group’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) engagement.

The Gold rating is a result of performance improvements in all four CSR dimensions assessed by EcoVadis ; environment, labor practices, fair business practices, and sustainable procurement. It places the company among the top 1 percent of all suppliers evaluated by the platform, regardless of their industry.

“In the last few years we have worked hard to continuously improve performance and consistency in the area of sustainability and responsibility. I am very pleased by the recognition from EcoVadis and I’d like to thank all internal and external stakeholders who have contributed to the achievement,” says Anders Hildeman, Vice President Sustainability.

The Board of Directors of Ahlstrom-Munksjö Oyj has decided to utilize the current authorization given by the Annual General Meeting (AGM) held on April 6, 2016 to repurchase own shares. The authorization, to acquire a maximum of 4,000,000 of the company’s own shares, is valid until the end of the AGM 2017 to be held on May 16, 2017.

The repurchases will start at the earliest on May 3, 2017 and end on May 16, 2017 at the latest. Ahlstrom-Munksjö intends to continue the repurchases after May 16, 2017, under the condition that the AGM approves a new authorization to the Board of Directors to acquire a maximum of 8,000,000 of the company’s own shares. The amount of shares to be acquired shall not exceed 300,000 shares, corresponding to about 0.3 per cent of the total number of shares and votes.

The repurchased shares will be used primarily for implementing future share-based incentive programs of the company.

The shares shall be acquired through public trading on Nasdaq Helsinki at the market price prevailing at the time of repurchase. Nordea Bank Finland Plc will act as stock broker in the repurchases.

Metso’s Board of Directors has appointed Nico Delvaux President and CEO of Metso, effective at the beginning of November 2017 at the latest. Nico Delvaux is currently Senior Executive Vice President for Atlas Copco AB and Business Area President for Compressor Technique, with responsibility for the global compressed air business of the Atlas Copco Group.

"This nomination is part of Metso’s successor planning and the timing is good for Metso to progress into the next development phase. I am convinced that Nico Delvaux is the right person to further accelerate value creation for Metso’s customers and shareholders, thanks to his broad international experience, leadership skills and a proven track record in developing leading businesses," says Mikael Lilius, Chairman of Metso’s Board of Directors.

Markus Mannström appointed head of Stora Enso’s Biomaterials division

Stora Enso has appointed Markus Mannström Executive Vice President for the Biomaterials division as of 1 June 2017. He has been the group’s Chief Technology Officer (CTO) and a member of the Group Leadership Team since 2015. Mannström will replace Juan Carlos Bueno, who has served as Executive Vice President since 2011 and led the Biomaterials division since its creation in 2012, and who will now leave Stora Enso to find new challenges outside the company.

ANDRITZ has successfully started up the tissue machine supplied to the Hengan Group, China, at its Chongqing mill.

The PrimeLineTM W8 tissue machine is the twelfth tissue machine supplied by ANDRITZ to the Hengan Group. It has a design speed of 2,000 m/min and a width of 5.6 m. The machine is equipped with an 18-foot steel Yankee for energy-efficient drying and safe operation. The scope of supply also included the complete stock preparation plant with ShortFlow concept, which minimizes both the investment costs and energy consumption as well as ensures high flexibility for grade changes. The entire automation system was also supplied by ANDRITZ

The Hengan Group was established in 1985 and, with around 30,000 employees, is one of the leading Chinese manufacturers of hygiene and sanitary products.

The 40 gsm newsprint production was mastered at Volga’s Paper Mill. The printers have already tested the production samples and gave an expert opinion.

The increased area in a standard newsprint reel is the main advantage of the low-substance newsprint.

The production test runs of Volga’s low-substance newsprint (40 gsm) took place in March, 2017 in the printing complexes of JSC PK “EXTRA М” (Moscow) on UNISET and GEOMAN printing machines and in a CJSC “Prime Print” (Nizhny Novgorod) printing-house on a TENSOR 1400 machine.

 After the carried out testing the “Prime Print” experts confirmed the conformity of the tested newsprint to the declared properties and printability on the TENSOR equipment because no ink setting-off and other defects of the printed products were identified. In their opinion, the quality of the edition appearance printed on the lower substance newsprint didn’t visually differ from the quality of the samples printed on the standard newsprint with the substance of 42 gsm. There were also no web breaks or increased flaking of the paper.

Messmer Büchel will release the brand new 17-36 Short Span Compression Tester at the Interpack Show in Düsseldorf, Hall 12 booth C04-5. The 17-36 SCT is the successor of the previous 17-34 model. The Short Span Compression Tester measures the strength of liner and fluting medium at a distance of 0.7mm. With this information it is possible to predict the compression strength of a container. For the producer, this means optimization of the end product at an early stage of production saving time and money.